INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Returning home following their most successful road trip of the season that included a three-game win streak, the Indy Fuel, in an all-out effort, battled the Fort Wayne Komets to a shootout before the visitors gained the extra point in a 5-4 result Saturday night at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.
The men of the Fuel were gallant as they overcame an early second period 2-0 deficit with a three-goal rally, sparked by a pair of strikes fired by center Mike Neal in 2:45 to equalize the affair at 2-2. Then Neal, acclaimed the game’s number 1 star, set up Josh Shalla on the first of two Indy power play goals at 19:59 of the same frame to vault the Fuel into their first lead of the night after 40-minutes at 3-2. Shalla’s goal was his 31st of the season and his eleventh in nine games against the Fort Wayners.
In the third period, the Komets rallied twice to tie it. The second game-tying goal came after the Fuel’s Jake Marchment made connection on his club’s second power play goal of the night to lift Indy back on top at 4-3. Mike Cazzola knotted it for the K’s late in the same stanza at 15:29 to set the stage for the third extra time game between the two arch-rivals this season.
Following a scoreless overtime, the Komets proceeded to outscore the Fuel in the shootout, 2-1 with Mike Embach delivering the game winner on his club’s fifth shot. Nick Bligh accounted for the Fuel’s lone goal.
Fort Wayne outshot the Fuel, 47-26 while both teams power plays percolated. The Fuel were 2-for-3 while the Komets were 2-for-4.
With his 3-points tonight, Neal has now registered 9-goals, 10-assists 19-points in his last 9-games. His line-mate Matt Rupert earned 3-assists while Kenny Ryan assisted twice.
For the Fuel, they have collected 7 of a possible 8-points through their last 4-starts, going 3-0-1. They are 4-1-1 in their last six games, 5-2-1 in the last eight and 6-3-2 in their last eleven. Indy completes its 9-game season series against Fort Wayne with a 1-5-3 record – 1-2-2 at home and 0-3 in extra time.
Indy will continue its 4-game home stand Sunday at 3:05 p.m. when rivalry weekend continues at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum as the Cincinnati Cyclones come to town on the final Family Fun Day of the season.
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